Thanks to John Jarrold, I received the working cover to Robert V.S. Redick’s upcoming novel “The Rats and the Ruling Sea”, the second volume in the author’s Chathrand Voyage trilogy after “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” (Reviewed HERE). The stunning artwork is provided by Les Edwards, better known as the 2008 World Fantasy Award-winning artist Edward Miller (Scott Lynch, Ian Cameron Esslemont, Steven Erikson, etc). “The Rats and the Ruling Sea”, which begins where “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” ended, is currently scheduled for UK publication on August 20, 2009 (Preorder HERE) via Gollancz and is described as follows:

“Thasha's wedding is hours away. It is a wedding that will both fulfill the promise of a mad god's return and see her murdered. Pazel has thwarted the sorcerer who would bring back the god but both sides now face deadlock. Can Thasha be saved? Can the war between two Empires be stopped?

The Rats and the Ruling Sea is, once again, focused on the giant ancient ship The Chathrand, but now she must brave the terrors of the uncharted seas including massive storms, ship-swallowing whirlpools and lands forgotten by the Northern world, all the time involved in a vicious running battle with a ship nearly her match...

Robert Redick's new novel takes the reader further into the labyrinthine plots and betrayals that have underscored the trilogy from the beginning. Along the way, we will learn more about the Ixchel as they fight for survival against the Chathrand's rats, discover more about the true motives of the conspirators, live with Thasha and Pazel as they face death & deceit, and journey with The Chathrand as it sails into the infamous Ruling Sea...”